Page 12 of Past and Present

“Want me to talk to her?”

Lance shook his head. “No, it’s fine. Aren’t you leaving early today to see how Jill does on her own?” he asked glancing at the clock above his office door.

Kimberly nodded. “Yes, Sir. I just wanted to come in and try to straighten out the mess for Friday. Please call me if you need me. My leave of absence doesn’t begin until after Christmas.”

Lance gave her a thumbs up. He hated that she was leaving even if it was only temporary, but she’d worked a lot of long hard days for him. If anyone deserved an extended leave, it was Kimberly.

When she was gone, he turned to his computer system and logged in. Today was all about finishing the build on a new app. Those were his favorite days because he got to put his headphones on, roll up his sleeves and spend the day buried in code. The downside to being the face of the company was that those days were more sparse than when he was just coding in his apartment to make ends meet.

“Mr. Moss, I have David Eastman on the line for you? Can I put him through?”

“Yes, Jill. Thank you.”

“David, it’s good to hear from you,” he said when he picked up the phone. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

David chuckled. “I’m going to be on a conference call with Patrick and Eli in a couple of hours. I’m wondering if you have time to talk about some of your ideas for using our diamonds in the tech industry.”

“I can make time. Just tell Jill to put it on my calendar.”

“What happened to Kimberly? Lydia likes her.”

Lance laughed. “She’s got some family stuff to deal with, so she’s taking an extended leave of absence. Won’t be back until March. Jill is her temporary replacement.”

“Well, I’m hurt. She didn’t know who I was.”

Lance rolled his eyes. There was a list of VIP callers at the woman’s desk she should have figured it out.

“I’ll talk to her,” he said. “I should get back to my computer if I’m going to break for a conference call later.”

When he finished with David, he sent a message to Marissa, who was working downstairs on a project of her own to tell her not to wait for him at lunch since he would be busy with David and the others.

She fired back a thumbs up and he went back to his computer.

An hour later, his phone buzzed again. It was Marissa.

I saw a delivery crew hauling trees to your floor. I approve.

He grinned and fired back.

I should make you come up here and let me decorate you again. You can be my private Christmas tree.

Last night had tickled his desire to objectify her, but it was a desire that was never fully satisfied. If he were a bastard, he would have her in his office as his footstool or just to fuck her mouth beneath his desk on a more regular basis, but he respected her position in his company and now in her own company too much so he settled for weekends and evenings for the most part. That didn’t stop him from occasionally ordering her to a stairwell or a private bathroom for a quick fuck when he thought they could get away with it.

And she lived for it just as much as he did.

Maybe after hours

Her response made him grin, but he set it aside and got back to work.

Jill poked her head in a couple of hours later and he waved her in.

He frowned at her attire. Not exactly office appropriate.

“What’s going on, Jill?” he asked.

“I’m going out for lunch. Did you want me to bring you anything, Mr. Moss? I know how much you like the deli a few blocks over.”

He shook his head. “I’m fine, Jill. Thank you.”

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